Luna New Year Workshop - Ceramic Dumplings

In this workshop with ceramic artist Sylvia Zi, participants will learn to make dumplings using clay.

In this workshop with ceramic artist Sylvia Zi, participants will learn to make dumplings using clay. The workshop explores the translation of short-lived cultural objects into enduring forms.

Participants will be guided through rolling coils, slicing evenly, forming dumpling skins, and crimping their own ceramic dumplings by hand.

The Lunar New Year falls on 17 February. In Chinese culture, dumplings are indispensable to the New Year’s table. With a history spanning over 2,000 years, dumplings (饺子 jiǎozi) are believed to have originated as herbal parcels made by a physician to help villagers endure harsh winters. From the beginning, they have embodied care, nourishment, and communal making. Their folded form echoes yuánbǎo (元宝), the silver and gold ingots of imperial China, and has come to symbolise prosperity, good fortune, and the welcoming of abundance in the year ahead.

Each participant can expect to make a set of around 6-8 dumplings which will be fired and clear glazed. Works will be ready for collection approximately 3 weeks after completion of the workshop.

No prior experience is required, all levels welcome. This workshop is for adults.

You can see Sylvia's work on instagram @sylviaaaxz